What happened to the children (orphans and others) that were living in monasteries in times of the Revolution? Didn't they cease the existens of monasteries (in many places) due to the Revolution?

True or false: often somewhat changed surnames of their (noble) fathers were given to illigitime children?

Anfortunately all archives in monasteries was after revolution destroied. I sent request to this Yekaterinburg monasteryhttp://www.sestry.ru/engThey wrote me back that communist burned down whole archive

Thank you for your answer. That is what I thought myself too, but it was nice that you put the fact down here.

Here surely is one thing that makes it impossible for people with Russian roots to get any liable information about their background. They are in much the similar situation than Afroamericans whose roots were cut to Africa. Some might be able to follow some passenger lists but that is surely very hard.

It would be very valuable to start collect all small details that people know about their Russian roots even though many stories were probably not true they could, however, be very interesting.

My grandfather had some connection to some monastery but I don't quuite know what. There might be some archives however for some people somewhere let it then be archives like the KGB. But I surely know very little and wanted to know more about all these depressive facts, however.